Britt Jones
A FedEx plane was filmed as its engine suddenly burst into flames just moments after taking off from an airport.
After a slew of aeroplane issues in the last few months, a plane for the global delivery service has become the latest victim after leaving Newark Airport on Saturday February 1.
A video, which has been released to the public via news broadcasts, shows the Boeing 767-3S2F scrambling to get back onto the tarmac as one of its engines was engulfed in flames at approximately 8am.
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The ordeal lasted a short time, as once the engine burst into flames, the plane quickly made an emergency landing, where it was met on the ground by two Port Authority fire trucks, which promptly worked to extinguish the flames.
The National Transportation Safety Board has now opened an investigation into the incident to find out what caused the plane to go up in flames. However, it is believed that it was due to a bird strike- the same issue which is also believed to have caused a Jeju airliner to crash land in South Korea, killing all on board.
According to the spokesperson of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and FedEx, Lenis Valens, there were no reported injuries, and fire was contained to the engine.
Audio recorded by LiveATC revealed a person telling the craft to ‘shut down for a possible bird strike’ and that ‘we need to return to the airport.’
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Moments later, another person said: “We believe we saw their engine fall off the right wing.”
A FedEx representative told The Post that the plan landed at 8:07am, nine minutes after takeoff, stating: “FedEx Flight 3609 from Newark to Indianapolis experienced a bird strike during takeoff. Our crew declared an emergency and returned safely to Newark. We are thankful for the quick actions of our crew and first responders.”
However, the plane was then cleared to leave for Indiana at 9:30am, according to Flight Aware with The Federal Aviation Administration stating that the bird ‘strike damaged one of the Boeing 767’s engines.’
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This plane incident is just one of many that have swept the globe.
On Tuesday February 25, a Southwest plane almost collided with a private jet on the runway at Chicago Midway Airport when the private plane rolled in its path.
On February, 24 a Delta Air Lines flight to South Carolina was forced to return to Atlanta when ‘haze’ and smoke began to pour into the cabin.
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A Canadian plane was seen all over social media after it crash landed, skidded and rolled onto its back, leaving all passengers alive but shaken up.
Then, there was the Black Hawk helicopter incident over Potomac River, which collided with a commercial plane, killing 67 people, many of whom were children and young competitive figure skaters and their parents, and coaches.
The seeming uptick in plane issues has brought forward an onslaught of worries about air travel safety, and why bird strikes appear to be becoming more frequent occurrences.
UNILAD reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board, FedEx and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for comment.